The present disclosure relates generally to an arrangement for, and a method of, processing products associated with symbols to be electro-optically read by image capture at a point-of-transaction workstation, especially a dual window, bioptical workstation, and, more particularly, to upgrading the workstation with a field-installable, camera module operative for capturing an image of an operator working at the workstation, especially the operator's hands, for video surveillance purposes.
It is known to use solid-state imagers in single or dual window, point-of-transaction workstations to electro-optically read, by image capture, symbols, such as one- or two-dimensional bar code symbols associated with products to be identified and processed, e.g., purchased, at the workstations that are installed at countertops of checkout stands in supermarkets, warehouse clubs, department stores, and other kinds of retailers. The products are typically slid or moved by an operator across, or presented to and momentarily held steady at a central region of, a generally horizontal window that is mounted in a horizontal platform of a workstation and that faces upwardly above a countertop, and/or a generally vertical or upright window that is mounted in a raised vertical tower of the workstation and that faces the user. The known workstations utilize illumination light assemblies to illuminate the symbols, and multiple mirror assemblies to direct return illumination light from the products through one or both windows to one or more imagers along multiple, intersecting fields of view, or narrow subfields, that pass through the windows along different directions in order to provide each workstation with a full coverage scan zone that extends above the horizontal window and in front of the upright window as close as possible to the countertop, and extends sufficiently high above the countertop, and extends as wide as possible across the width of the countertop, to enable reliable reading of a symbol that could be positioned anywhere on all six sides of a three-dimensional product.
Many retailers wish to prevent the unauthorized giving-away of products by a workstation operator to a “sweetheart” customer, e.g., a friend, a family member, a fellow employee, etc., for example, by scan avoidance, price overrides, and refund/gift card/void fraud during checkout at the known workstations. To reduce or prevent “sweethearting” losses, retailers typically employ security guards to check customer receipts at retail store exits. To reduce or avoid such security expenses, some retailers have attempted to employ at least one of the solid-state imagers associated with the upright window, which is already present in the known workstations, with the surveillance and monitoring task of capturing images or video of the workstation operator, especially the operator's hands, during checkout.
However, although the solid-state imager associated with the upright window does have image capture capabilities, it is unsuited for this surveillance task. This imager is designed to capture an image of a symbol associated with a product in the aforementioned scan zone, and not to take a picture of the operator who is typically located forwardly beyond the scan zone. Moreover, this imager has imaging optics designed to sharply focus a captured symbol image in the aforementioned scan zone, whereas a picture of an operator who is typically located beyond the scan zone will be unfocused. Furthermore, this imager uses short exposure times to freeze the motion of moving symbols, and, if used to take the operator's picture, may cause the picture to not be ideally exposed. In addition, this imager is associated with an illuminator that directs bright, pulsed illumination light to illuminate the symbol. If such bright, pulsed illumination light were directed to the operator, it would be highly objectionable, especially when repeated frequently over the course of a workday. Still further, as noted above, this imager is associated with a mirror assembly that is designed to capture the return light from the illuminated symbol over multiple, narrow subfields extending along different directions, which is ill designed for taking a single picture of the operator over a wide field of view. Yet further, the use of this solid-state imager for surveillance adds significant cost and complexity to the workstation, which some retailers may not want to bear.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to add operator surveillance to an imager-based workstation without tasking one or more of the solid-state imagers with that monitoring responsibility, without adding significant cost and complexity to the workstation, and without repetitively annoying the operator with bright, pulsed light, and to field-upgrade the workstation with a camera module that is designed for taking a picture of the operator over a wide field of view and that is selectively installed by the retailer in the workstation only if and when desired.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The arrangement and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.